Picture of the Week, Duncan Coral (Duncanopsammia axifuga)

Pictured in this installment of the AquaNerd Picture of the Week is a duncan coral (Duncanopsammia axifuga) glowing under a rich hue of blue lighting at the bottom of a reef aquarium. This particular coral got quite popular a couple of years ago, fetching $15-20 per single polyp and finding its way into to a bunch of aquariums, at least on the local scene. Unlike most LPS corals, this species grows with significant speed. One individual we owned went from 4 heads/mouths to well over 50 in approximately 6 months. We attributed the explosive growth to the fact that this coral was target fed regularly and kept in an area of high flow. Although the coral was sitting under high intensity lighting, the duncan coral doesn’t rely on photosynthesis as heavily as other corals, so we couldn’t really attribute its growth to the amount of light it received.

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